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The Hobart College football team, ranked No. 5 in the AFCA coaches poll and No. 7 in the D3football.com poll, will open its Liberty League title defense at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday, Sept. 28. Kickoff between the undefeated teams is set for 2 p.m. at Brooks Stadium.

The Statesmen (2-0) lead the all-time series with the Mariners 9-4. Merchant Marine (3-0) won the first four meetings, but Hobart has not lost to the Academy since it joined the Liberty League. 

The Statesmen are coming off a 34-21 homecoming win over Utica. Senior Steven Webb rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns and sophomore Conner Hartigan gained 119 yards and a TD. It's the first time since Oct. 23, 2004, that Hobart has had two 100-yard rushers in a game. It was also Webb's fourth straight 100-yard game, dating back to last season.

Defensively, senior linebacker Cory Davis logged a game-high 14 tackles, the most by a Statesman since Reggie Robinson posted 15 in the 2011 NCAA Playoffs at Wesley. Junior linebacker Nolan Toran collected a trio of awards for his role in the win over the Pioneers. The Liberty League and ECAC Northwest Defensive Player of the Week had three takeaways, an interception and two forced fumbles, as well as five solo tackles.

The Hobart coaching staff will join the America Football Coaches Association nationwide initiative and wear a "Coach To Cure MD" patch on the sideline. College football fans will be asked to donate to research projects supported by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. focused entirely on Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Football fans can donate to Duchenne muscular dystrophy research by either going online to www.CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word CURE to 90999 (a $5 donation will automatically be added to your next phone bill).

Last year, more than 10,000 college coaches at a record 580 different institutions participated in Coach To Cure MD events. Both those figures are higher than in any of the program's first five years (2008-12). Last season marked the first time all 124 Football Bowl Subdivision schools participated, and the five-year fundraising total is just over $1 million.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood and primarily affects boys across all races and cultures. Boys and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy develop progressive muscle weakness that eventually causes loss of mobility, wheelchair dependency and a decline in respiratory and cardiac function. Currently, there is no cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and limited therapeutic options exist.